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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23488456">cin vhetin</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/livingshitpost/pseuds/emrys'>emrys (livingshitpost)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, Child Death, Crying, Discussion of Abortion, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Father-Son Relationship, Fatherhood, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I Made Myself Cry, M/M, Major Original Character(s), Men Crying, Mild Gore, Mild Racism, Minor Canonical Character(s), Minor Original Character(s), Pregnancy, Reunions, Secret Children, Secret Relationship, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, Trans Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy, anyway have fun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 09:02:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,119</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23488456</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/livingshitpost/pseuds/emrys</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Obi-Wan and Cody didn't expect to become fathers, and, in all honesty, they don't have the time or resources to do it.<br/>It's funny how things turn out.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>CC-2224 | Cody &amp; CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, CT-2224 | Cody &amp; Original Character(s), CT-7567 | Rex &amp; Ahsoka Tano, CT-7567 | Rex &amp; Original Character(s), Obi-Wan Kenobi &amp; Original Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>244</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>thank u nea obiwanlovebot fr brainstormin this with me,, ur a hero . bt u need to get some sleeP I SWEAR,</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Obi-Wan woke up, and immediately could tell something was <em>off</em>.</p><p>He sat up slowly. The lights in his quarters on the ship slowly turned on at the movement, and he glanced around, unsure what he was looking for. Cody stirred beside him, the light starting to rouse him from sleep. He opened one eye.</p><p>"Morning, Ob'ika."</p><p>Obi-Wan sighed gently. He smiled as he bent down to kiss Cody's cheek. "Morning."</p><p>"Everything okay?"</p><p>"I think so." Obi-Wan lifted himself from his bed and put on his trousers, which had been tossed carelessly aside last night. There was something, or some<em>one</em>, he couldn't quite place.</p><p>"Doesn't look like it."</p><p>Obi-Wan waved Cody's comment away. He reached out, searching the ship through the Force, but found . . . <em>nothing</em>. He frowned. No matter which way he turned, or where he went in the room, the presence seemed to follow him.</p><p>"Obi-Wan?" Cody rose from the bed and wrapped his arms around his lover's waist, kissing his neck and shoulder. "What's wrong?"</p><p>Obi-Wan's hand followed Cody's and the presence was stronger. Brighter.</p><p>His stomach turned to lead.</p><p>"I'm pregnant," he murmured.</p><p>Cody stiffened. "I'm sorry, I- . . . <em>What</em>?"</p><p>"I can feel it. In the Force." Obi-Wan turned to face the taller man. "I'm pregnant."</p><p>Cody was numb as his hands rested on Obi-Wan's cheeks. One of them slid down to his shoulder, past the scars under his pecs, and lingered over his abdomen. It eventually came to a stop on his hip.</p><p>"Y-you're not . . . You're joking. You can't be serious. Come on, come off it. Quit- quit karking around with me."</p><p>Obi-Wan looked up, and the barely-suppressed fear in his eyes told Cody all he needed to know.</p><p>Cody pulled Obi-Wan close, stroking his hair. "I'm sorry," he murmured. His voice threatened to break. "This is my fault."</p><p>"It's not," Obi-Wan assured him. "It's alright."</p><p>Cody shook his head. "What about this is alright?" <em>I'll be court martialed for fraternizing with a superior officer. And you're karking </em>pregnant<em>, jeti'ika.</em></p><p>Obi-Wan held Cody tightly. "It's not your fault," he reiterated, even as tears started to well in his eyes. "I could never blame you for this."</p><p>Cody took a deep breath. They stood there for another minute or so before Cody held Obi-Wan at arm's length. "What do you want to do?"</p><p>Obi-Wan shut his eyes. "I have a hard life," he said slowly. "It's no life for a child. I'm not even supposed to become attached enough to anyone to <em>have</em> one, much less with . . ." <em>With a subordinate. </em><em>With someone who isn't a person, legally speaking. </em></p><p><em>With </em>you<em>, no matter how much I wish I could.</em></p><p>"I have the luxury of knowing far earlier than most others in the galaxy. And I know . . . I know what I <em>should</em> do."</p><p>Cody brought him to the foot of the bed, and the two of them sit. Obi-Wan leaned against Cody's shoulder.</p><p>"We . . . I could get Kix to help. There are ways to induce miscarriages, and I'm sure he'd be willing to keep it a secret."</p><p>" . . . But?"</p><p>A sigh. Obi-Wan hugged one knee, and Cody wrapped an arm around him.</p><p>"But I don't know if I can do that."</p><p>Cody's nod was slow and understanding.</p><p>"It's stupid. And it's selfish. But I-I can <em>feel</em> it. I can feel their Living Force, even though it's still so faint I couldn't find them at first." He glanced up at Cody. "I can't."</p><p>Cody brought Obi-Wan into his arms. "We'll figure it out," he promises softly. "Don't worry."</p>
<hr/><p>Obi-Wan narrowly escaped so many times, and could feel Cody's distress when he put himself in harm's way, but he had a reputation to uphold. He had a war to win.</p><p>He got so, <em>so</em> lucky.</p>
<hr/><p>They didn't tell anyone who didn't need to know. Only Kix, the closest thing Obi-Wan had to a nurse, and Rex, the closest thing Cody had to a confidant. They watched out for them when they could, and helped cover for them as things progressed and something as simple as walking tireed Obi-Wan out far too quickly. (As worried as he was, he was thankful he carried so small.)</p><p>Kix helped Obi-Wan fake something, he didn't ask what, a couple of months before the anticipated date. He managed to get him kept in a private sector of the medical bay after saying that he was highly contagious, and helped sneak Cody in when he could.</p><p>Obi-Wan's labor came fast in the night. Before long, there was a tiny little boy in his arms, with dark skin and hair and freckles all over his body. He was smaller than he should have been, with all the stress, having to grow mostly on rations. But he was shining brightly through the Force as he cried in his father's arms. Obi-Wan came dangerously close to prioritizing him over everything else.</p><p>Kix dimmed the lights in an attempt to give the two of them some peace, and Obi-Wan cried into his dark hair, whispering apologies he couldn't understand. Murmuring softly how much he loved him; his Jinn'ika. Jinn Kenobi, he should have been, but Obi-Wan couldn't bring himself to say the full name. He was afraid it would bind them too permanently.</p><p>Cody arrived just as Obi-Wan was forcing himself from bed, the tiny bundle of his son swaddled in a blanket from the planet's natives. Obi-Wan gestured for him to follow to the shuttle he was taking to Coruscant, and Cody did, dutifully. He had to go. He <em>had</em> to.</p><p>Once on board, Obi-Wan smiled at Cody. It was laced with exhaustion and sadness, and sweat plastered his hair to his forehead, but it was a smile. </p><p>"He's going to the Jedi Temple," Obi-Wan explained softly. "He's a Force-sensitive; I can tell."</p><p>"Course you can," Cody teased. "Kriff, he's tiny."</p><p>"I know." Obi-Wan let out a shuddering sigh as he sat down. "Can you hold him for a moment?"</p><p>Cody stiffened. Even back on Kamino, he was never very good with the younger vod'e. But he was the only other person available, so he nodded. "Sure."</p><p>Obi-Wan gently laid Jinn in Cody's arms before heading off to the refresher. Cody simply stood there, staring, marveling at the freckles across the boy's cheeks. He kissed his forehead.</p><p>"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry it's like this." He sat down, holding Jinn to his breastplate, curling in around him. "I'm sorry. I wish I could be there to see you grow up." He let out a shuddering breath as he pressed their foreheads together. "Ni ceta, ner'ad. Ni ceta."</p><p>Obi-Wan gently took Jinn from Cody's arms. The look on his face made Cody's heart shatter; it was like he regretted existing entirely.</p><p>Cody simply watched Obi-Wan hold him, after that. He was glad, of course, that their son was healthy, if a bit small. He was glad that he was the father of such a beautiful, precious child. But at the same time, it tore him apart that he got so little time. That he would never see his ad'ika grow up. That he would never be able to teach him to speak, or stand, or hold a blaster, or <em>anything</em>.</p><p>He'd lost so many brothers; he'd lost count long ago. But this was different.</p><p>"He'll be safe," Obi-Wan tries to assure him. "He will be loved. He will be a Jedi."</p><p>Cody nodded once. They were coming up on Coruscant, now; he had to steady himself. He had to appear unaffected. Unflappable.</p><p>He walked Obi-Wan, with Jinn in his arms, to the Jedi Temple crèche, and tried to make peace with the knowledge that he would never see his son again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Obi-Wan ran to the Jedi Temple. </p><p><em>Let him be there, let him be there, let him be there, lethimbetherelethimbethere- Force, against all odds, let his son be </em>safe<em>, let him live, let him be spared-</em></p><p>There was only one child left in the crèche, crying under a crib. He held a friend in his arms; green skinned with dark eyes and tentacles coming from the back of her head. There was a hole in the front of her tunic, and it looked as though a chunk had been scooped from her chest. The room smelled of charred flesh and fabric.</p><p>A shuddering sigh. The blood of the vod'e in his veins had protected him. His friend had not been so lucky.</p><p>Obi-Wan reached a hand out to the boy. "It's alright," he said gently. "I won't hurt you."</p><p>The boy continued to cry, taking Obi-Wan's hand and pressing it to his friend's small, cool, unmoving chest. "<em>Help</em>," he pleaded.</p><p>Obi-Wan sighed. "She can't be helped, little one. She's become one with the Force."</p><p>The boy sniffled, hiccuping between his sobs. He gave his friend a tight hug. "I'm sorry, Nolne," he said softly. "I'm sorry."</p><p>"It's not your fault." Obi-Wan knelt down and opened his arms. "Come on."</p><p>The boy looked up at him uncertainly. "Where?"</p><p>"Somewhere safe," Obi-Wan assured him. "Come."</p><p>The boy glanced down at his friend. He gave her a kiss on the forehead before laying her down. Obi-Wan closed her mouth and eyes, then picked the child up in his arms.</p><p>"You're Jinn, aren't you?"</p><p>The boy nodded. </p><p>"I've heard a lot about you."</p><hr/><p>The times were was enough water for both of them to bathe were few and far between. Each time, Jinn Kenobi saw the same numbers tattooed on his father's shoulder; 2224. He was five now, and his honey-brown eyes were bright with curiosity.</p><p>"Dad," he said as his father washed his hair. "What are the numbers on your shoulder for?"</p><p>His father sighed. Ben Kenobi was a quiet man at home; calm and cool and collected. He leaned his son back to wash the soap from his hair. "It's something I have to remember, little one."</p><p>"That's not an answer," Jinn pouted.</p><p>Ben chuckled. "I know. But it's as much as I can give you for now." Jinn's short, coarse hair was relatively easy to rinse. "I'll tell you more when you're older, alright? Go dry yourself off."</p><p>The boy sighed. "Okay."</p><p>"Good boy. I'll be out soon." </p><p>Jinn took a towel outside into the hot sun, laying it down on the dusty ground, and sat on top of it with his feet in the sand. The bright, warm rays brought out his freckles, which were almost black against brown skin, and the slightest copper tones in his hair. Sure enough, it was only a couple of minutes before his father sat beside him.</p><p>" . . . Some of the other kids said I don't look enough like you to be your son," Jinn murmured.</p><p>Ben pulled Jinn close. Jinn almost giggled, trying to wriggle away from his wet skin.</p><p>"They can't feel it though, can they?"</p><p>Jinn shook his head. </p><p>Ben stroked his son's hair. "It's because you look so much like your buir," he murmured. "You have his hair. His eyes. His nose." He kissed his head. "His tenacity."</p><p>"What's that?"</p><p>"It means you don't give up." Ben released Jinn and leaned back against his towel, hands behind his head, his grey hair blowing in the hot desert wind. His eyes, however, remained open, his gaze lingering on the boy. "He would have loved you."</p><p>"What happened to him?"</p><p>"That's . . . for another time, I'm afraid."</p><p>"Did he die?"</p><p>"No." Ben's smile fell, and he gazed up at the cloudless sky. "It was worse than that."</p><p>Jinn hopped over to snuggle into his father's side. "'M sorry, Dad."</p><p>"Oh, it's not your fault." Ben held him tightly. "When you were born, he was so, so happy. He truly loved you. He wanted to see you grow up. But he <em>couldn't</em>, through no fault of his own. He had a duty; one that his very life depended upon. . . . I'm sorry you couldn't meet him."</p><p>"It's okay." Jinn smiled up at his father. "I have you."</p><p>Ben sobbed, laughing, and kissed his son's forehead. "And I have you."</p><hr/><p>Jinn was fourteen, with his buir's strong shoulders and his father's kind heart, when Ben sat him down and told him the story of the fall of the Jedi Order. The fall of the Republic, and the rise of the Empire that took its place. Ben saw so much of his buir in him, but the Force ran strong through his veins. He was so undeniably like his father.</p><p>The story started alright, as it always had when his father had told him tales of hope and valor to get him to sleep. Tales of Qui-Gon Jinn, of Quinlan Vos, of Kit Fisto and Plo Koon, and tales of Grandmaster Yoda. New names joined them now; Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano. Those stories did not bring hope.</p><p>Jinn's blood ran cold as Ben recounted what happened twelve years ago. How the Grand Army had turned their guns on their generals, on their Jedi, and killed them. Only a few — and whether they were lucky or just the opposite was up for debate — had survived. His father had been one of them, and, though it wasn't said, he knew his buir had been behind the trigger.</p><p>"I don't mean to scare you," Ben said softly. "That's not what I want. But I know it's . . . It's a terrifying prospect. And, of course, if you choose to follow this path, I will guide you as best I can, but it will be dangerous." He licked his lips. "I don't want to force it upon you. You have a choice, Jinn'ika. You know enough to keep yourself under control, and if you want, you can leave it at that. This is your decision alone."</p><p>Jinn sighed. He picked up the lightsaber on the table, the one that had belonged to his namesake. The Force thrummed through it, through <em>him</em>. There was a <em>boom, boom, boom</em>ing in his blood like an old Mandalorian war drum. The weapon was part of him, just the same as meditation and Mando'a. He knew in his mind it was his choice, but it didn't feel like one; it felt in his heart like the decision was made long ago, before he could speak, or walk, or understand. There was an echo in the back of his mind of something he shouldn't have been able to remember.</p><p>
  <em>"He will be loved. He will be a Jedi."</em>
</p><p>"I need this," Jinn said quietly.</p><p>Ben could see the certainty in his eyes.</p><hr/><p>He was twenty-one, leaving home for the first time, his father beside him. He seemed so much older than he should have; the desert isn't kind. Jinn kept his namesake's lightsaber — <em>his</em> lightsaber, now — in a holster beside his blaster. </p><p>He was sitting in the cockpit, and his chest ached as a bond was severed; sudden and unfair.</p><p>His blood was ice again, overflowing with dread, and he wanted to run outside again. He wanted to run and find his father and help him, to run and <em>save him</em>, but he knew he couldn't. He knew it was too late.</p><p><em>Go</em>, he heard his father say in his mind. His last word; a final, desperate plea, begging his son to escape. To <em>live</em>. </p><p>Luke stumbled in, followed by Han, and Jinn felt part of himself be left behind on that space station.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Rebel base became his home, but it was muted. Desaturated like any new residence after a sudden move. He tried to find purpose in the work that kept his hands and mind busy, that moved the Rebellion forward, but he was alone. Luke was there, and they'd been friends for so long, but he had always been more outgoing and easy to connect with others.</p>
<p>Jinn, on the other hand, had always taken after his buir.</p>
<p>There was a man, though, with a laugh like drums. A laugh like <em>home</em>. His skin was dark, darker than Jinn's, and heavily freckled by years in the sun. He had the same honey-brown eyes, and they sparked with <em>something</em> when they locked together.</p>
<p>Jinn approached, slowly. Carefully. Like it was a dream, and if he disturbed the surface, it would shatter and fall away. His heart had crawled up into his throat.</p>
<p>" . . . Buir?"</p>
<p>The man sighed, a sad look crossing his face, but he smiled just the same. "You're Cody's ad'ika, aren't you?"</p>
<p>Perhaps something did shatter, but the man remained, steadfast, and put a hand on Jinn's shoulder as he nodded. He didn't trust himself to speak.</p>
<p>The man pulled him into a hug, tight and reassuring, and Jinn buried his face in his shoulder to hide the tears welling in his eyes. It felt natural. It felt <em>right</em>.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry to hear about your dad, verd'ika," the man said softly.</p>
<p>Jinn hugged back now, tighter than he thought he could. A sob escaped his throat.</p>
<p>"My-" he choked. "My buir. Is- Is he . . . ?"</p>
<p>"No. I'm so sorry."</p>
<p>Jinn felt his knees start to buckle, but the man held him steady. Soon he was being brought quietly to the canteen.</p>
<p>"My name's Rex," the man told him. "I knew your buir. He was one of my closest brothers." He bit his lip; the full story of the control chips and Tup and Fives and that dreaded order could wait. "It's a long story. But, he'd be proud of you. I know it."</p>
<p>Rex taught him new words; words he didn't know before. Words like aliit, and ba'vodu, and bui'tsad. Clan, and uncle, and lineage. And it felt good, taking those words into his mouth. It felt <em>right</em>, letting them roll across his tongue. And Rex, almost sheepishly, said that they could be aliit, if that was what Jinn wanted. (How could he say no?)</p>
<p>Rex offered the boy a bowl of warm soup, and he looked so much like one of his younger vod'e. He had his buir's same, sad eyes. He told Jinn a story he'd heard before, but it was different this time. There was more laughter, less caution. It was the story of the <em>thing</em> that killed his father. Of the man that had once been his father's best friend. His brother. Rex's, too. They'd known him <em>before</em>.</p>
<p>Jinn almost laughed, hollow, staring at his soup. "Guess we've both lost a lot, huh?" There was no smile on his face.</p>
<p>Rex understood. He really was Cody's son, making a poor excuse for a joke like that. The kind that almost lifted the spirits of those who were in on it, but just seemed <em>sad</em> to anyone else. It caught him off guard when Jinn knocked their foreheads together, apologized, and explained that his father used to do it when he was young. Jinn didn't know the significance. Rex did. He returned the gesture, choking back tears. "It's alright, Jinn'ika. I miss him too."</p>
<p>Jinn hesitated. He wasn't sure if he was <em>allowed</em> to miss his buir; he'd never even known the man.</p>
<p>But Ba'vodu Rex had known Ben, too.</p>
<p>He let himself cry.</p>
<hr/>
<p>She stared at him for a moment; perhaps a bit too long. He was familiar in a way she couldn't place. Maybe he was . . . No; there weren't any clones that young. Not anymore. They were almost twenty at the youngest, these days, and with the accelerated development, they looked almost forty. He couldn't be a clone. He was barely twenty-two. But he had the same dark hair, the same tan, sun-spotted skin, the same honey-brown eyes . . .</p>
<p>She reached out to him, and he glanced up, eyes darting around the room to find her. He swatted her probing thoughts away as her brows shot up in surprise. </p>
<p>"Hey, kid." She stepped up to him with her arms folded across her chest. "You . . . Did you know Obi-Wan Kenobi?"</p>
<p>"No," Jinn replied. "My father's name was Ben."</p>
<p>She watched him for a moment. "He- His echo- He's all over you. For a second, I . . ." She shook her head. "Nevermind. I must be getting old," she laughed.</p>
<p>Rex seemed to hear the exchange from a few meters away, because he smacked her shoulder lightly as he approached. "He didn't use his real name on Tatooine, laserbrain."</p>
<p>She gave him a look and smacked him back. "And you know this how?"</p>
<p>Rex threw an arm around Jinn's shoulders. "This is Jinn Kenobi, son of Obi-Wan-"</p>
<p>"Ben. His name was Ben."</p>
<p>"-and Cody. And yes, I know his name was Ben, but that wasn't his only name. We . . . We only ever knew him as Obi-Wan. That was the name he chose. Ben was the backup."</p>
<p>Jinn rolled his eyes with a smile. "Whatever you say, Ba'vodu."</p>
<hr/>
<p>Jinn had never been particularly outgoing, but there were certain people he couldn't help making friends with. His ba'vodu'e, Rex and Gregor and Wolffe, both with plenty of stories of his buir. Sabine Wren, with humor that cracked like a whip and spitting Mando'a, laughing when his tongue stumbled over it. Ahsoka Tano and Kanan Jarrus, with inside jokes about what life had been like in the temple that they did their best to fill him in on. They all taught him things his father didn't — things his father <em>couldn't</em>. Things he didn't have time for, or simply didn't know.</p>
<p>He was mixed in more ways than one (Sabine remarked about how she never thought she'd meet a mand'alore jetti, and Rex and Ahsoka had a laugh about how she thought he was a vod despite his comparatively light complexion), but he had found himself an aliit. He had found himself a yaim. He had people he loved, and who loved him, and he would make his parents proud.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Infiltration. Reconnaissance. Extraction. Jinn sighed; his first mission would be difficult.</p><p>"Ba'vodu Rex, can you . . . ?" He licked his lips. "You know the standard military haircut, right?"</p><p>"I do. I've cut Wolffe and Gregor's hair for eight years."</p><p>"Think you could cut mine?"</p><p>Rex glanced up. Jinn smiled at him, not quite sad, but also not <em>happy</em>. His long curls were pulled up in a tight bun at the back of his head, though a few escaped to frame his face. There was something about it.</p><p>Rex nodded. "Sure."</p><p>"Thanks." Jinn's smile grew, his buir's crow's feet crinkling the corners of his eyes. "Just give me a minute to-"</p><p>"Hang on. Lemme get a look at you." Rex took Jinn's face in his hands. Kriff, he looked just like Tup. He couldn't help himself from pulling his nephew into a hug.</p><p>Jinn hugged him back; he already knew what this was. Rex was silent as he said a final goodbye to his fallen brother.</p><p>"Let's get you squared away, verd'ika."</p>
<hr/><p>The Imperial Academy uniform was stiff and uncomfortable after so many years growing up with loose pants and half-open shirts. But more than that, he could <em>feel</em> every time one of the officers looks at him for too long, scrutinizing him, sending waves of panic through the Force. </p><p>He'd been assigned to an old clone, no good for combat anymore, but still with plenty of knowledge to pass on to cadets. There was a scar down the left side of his face, and an obvious chip on his shoulder. Jinn didn't know anything beyond that.</p><p>"My designation is CT-2224," the clone said sharply as he entered the room. "You will address me as officer or sir." He glared down the line of cadets. "<em>This will not be easy for you</em>."</p><p>Jinn's breath hitched. His tattoo, the one his father had had, and he'd gotten to remember him, burned on his shoulder. He almost took a half-step back.</p><p>2224's gaze turned to him. "What's your name, cadet?"</p><p>"I-I don't have a name, sir," Jinn stammered.</p><p>2224 grunted. "Crèchling, huh?"</p><p>"Yes, sir."</p><p>"Then tell me; what is your designation, cadet?"</p><p>"JN-0212, sir."</p><p>2224 gazed hard into those honey-brown eyes. His age must be catching up to him. He shook his head.</p>
<hr/><p>This was an intelligence mission. Get in, get the information, get out.</p><p>But he was alone with 2224, and he couldn't help himself.</p><p>"Sir," he said slowly. "Does- Does the name <em>Kenobi</em> mean anything to you?"</p><p>2224 bristled through the Force. He was quiet for a moment.</p><p>"He got away," he said lowly.</p><p>" . . . Sir?"</p><p>"He was a Jedi — a traitor to the Empire." He almost laughed. "Back then, it was the Republic." A sigh escaped his lips. "I used to consider him a friend."</p><p><em>Bit more than that, if I'm standing here</em>, Jinn thought to himself, but he kept quiet.</p><p>"Get back to your duties, cadet."</p><p>"Yes, sir."</p>
<hr/><p>CT-2224, for all of his bitterness and anger, seemed to have a soft spot for JN-0212 that he accepted only reluctantly, after almost a month of wrestling with it, kicking and screaming.</p><p>Damn kid looked like a vod. That had to be it.</p><p>It certainly didn't help that he got into as much trouble as a vod, too. Nothing all that serious, but enough to keep him coming back to 2224's office. It brought him back to Gregor, and Waxer, and Wooley. He bit back their names more times than he would have liked.</p><p>2224 rested his forehead on his folded hands at his desk, Jinn sitting across from him quietly. He'd been thinking about this for months.</p><p>" . . . Cadet, how in the <em>hell</em> do you know the name Kenobi."</p><p>The question caught Jinn off guard. "I-I heard heard a lot of stories about the 212th," he explained. "The other crèchlings teased me about my callsign. He was their general, and you were their commander." He shrugged. "It made sense, at the time."</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>"I wondered if- I wondered if you knew he's dead, sir." Just saying it made his chest ache.</p><p>2224 stiffened. He leaned back, hand over his mouth, gripping his jaw. Maybe if he glared hard enough at his desk, he could pass off his tears as those of anger. Of regret that he couldn't do it himself.</p><p>But Jinn was trained in the ways of the Force. Jinn can feel the grief and anguish, rolling in waves across the desk. </p><p>Part of him wanted to be mad. Why should this man grieve? He hadn't been there. He hadn't been there for over <em>two decades</em>, because he'd tried to kill Jinn's father. But there was something in the Force, like a hand on his shoulder, and he knew that wasn't fair. It wasn't what his father would want. He let it go.</p><p>"How," 2224 asked.</p><p>"He was killed, sir. By an old friend — one who turned his back on those he loved. Who ended up losing them, in the end."</p><p>2224 took a moment. He gathered himself before he spoke again. "He had a son," he said, sighing heavily. This kind of behavior could get him court martialed. "Was he killed?"</p><p>"No, sir."</p><p>2224 nodded. "Good, then. He- He didn't deserve to die for his father's actions." He bit his lip. "He was a good kid."</p><p>Jinn's hands tensed in his lap. <em>Thank you</em>, he almost said, but he didn't. Instead, he fought tears at the first praise he'd ever received from his buir. "Yes, sir," he says, and it's the hardest thing he's ever done.</p><p>2224 hesitated. There were still tears in his eyes. "How . . . How do you know?" His voice was barely above a whisper.</p><p>Jinn couldn't help but smile. "He's in front of you, sir. He's right here." He swallowed. "<em>I'm</em> right here."</p><p>Honey-brown eyes scanned Jinn's face. Everything from his eyes, his nose, his chin, his cheeks, the freckles smattered across them, the fall of his hair . . . the half-closed expression that he only now recognized, after so long, was the expression of a <em>Jedi</em>.</p><p>Jinn just sat there, waiting. He would die there or he wouldn't. He was right or he wasn't. Cody still lurked beneath the hard surface of CT-2224, or he didn't.</p><p>"JN." The man almost laughed. "<em>Jinn</em>."</p><p>Jinn nodded.</p><p>"You- You look just like him."</p><p>"Funny; he used to say I looked like you."</p><p>Jinn knew that kote meant glory. By extension, then, it meant triumph. It meant honor, and delight. He knew that Cody once loved his father <em>as</em> a Jedi; not in spite of it. And 2224 — no. <em>Cody</em> knew that he loved his jeti'ika. That he loved their son.</p><p>Knew, now, that that love never died.</p><p>Cody choked on a word that hadn't left his lips in over twenty years: "Ad'ika."</p><p>Jinn nodded. "Ba'vodu Rex echoylir gar, Buir."</p><p>"Rex is <em>alive</em>?"</p><p>"Wolffe and Gregor, too."</p><p>Cody clenched. Those were names that, for the longest time, had only haunted his nightmares. </p><p>"You're with the Rebels, then."</p><p>"Yes, sir."</p><p>"Drop that kark." Cody laughed. "Take me with you."</p><p>Jinn's throat was too tight for words. He nodded.</p><p>Cody stood slowly. He started to approach, but couldn't bring himself to break the plane of his desk. Jinn understood, though, and all but ran to hug him, reaching for him in the Force like his father had once. Every part of his soul screaming <em>I'm here, I'm here, I'm here I'm here I'mhereI'mhereI'mhereI'mhere</em>- He was surprised to find his buir reaching out, too, as well as he could without the attunement he'd inherited from his father. <em>I'm here. I got you. It's okay. I love you. I'm sorry. I'm here.</em></p><p>Cody's arms were crushing, and warm, and felt like home. Jinn buried his face in his buir's neck.</p><p>"I know," he whispered. "I missed you, too."</p><p>"Ner'ad," Cody murmured, one hand holding the back of Jinn's head. He buried his nose in his son's hair. "Ni ceta."</p><p>Jinn could feel that this wasn't the first time his buir had said those words to him. The archaic Mando'a rang like a giant, hollow bell in his heart.</p><p>"This is only the second time I've held you," Cody almost laughed. "You were so <em>tiny</em>, Jinn'ika. I was almost afraid I'd break you. Kark, I'm <em>sorry</em>. I missed out on everything. I missed out on <em>you</em>."</p><p>"It's okay. I'm here now, Buir. I'm- I'm not going anywhere. We'll go back together. Ba'vodu'e Rex and Gregor and Wolffe; they missed you. They're gonna be so happy to see you again." Jinn pulled away slightly, hands on his buir's shoulders. "My father- he knew I'd find you. He knew you weren't . . . <em>gone</em>." He wiped his eyes. "He loved you so much."</p><p>Cody held Jinn's face gently and pressed their foreheads together. "I'm so, so proud of you, ad. More than you could know. You're brave, and headstrong, and intelligent — <em>kriff</em>, you're so much like him."</p><p>Jinn laughed, soft and wet with tears. "I just wanted to make you both proud."</p><p>"Trust me, Jinn; you have." Cody pulled his son close. "You have."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>did i expect to write this? no. but i did it. and i love my new son jinn kenobi.<br/>again, thank u to <a href="https://twitter.com/obiwanlovebot">nea</a> fr brainstormin this with me !!! this fic is like . half urs alsjdflksjf ily</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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